Immigration Facts

The compilation of facts and statistics given below will help you get a better picture of the current scenario of immigration in the United States, an issue which has fueled quite a few debates over the last few years.

The basic principle of migration states that when a person moves from place A to place B, a vacuum is created in place A, which is eventually filled by a person migrating from place C. It highlights the fact that migration is inevitable, as it is a normal human tendency to move from one place to another for better prospects―something that has been going on for ages.

Problems arise when there is an imbalance in migration, as continuous immigration can result in flooding of the place and give rise to various issues associated with it. This is exactly the problem that America, as well as other developed and developing nations of the world have been facing for quite sometime now.

Immigration Facts and Statistics

With all the opportunities up for grabs, it's least surprising to see people from all corners of the world flocking to the United States. It tops the destination list for all those people who want to make a decent sum of money in a 'real quick time'. A glance at immigration statistics and the true picture as to how immigration is bringing about a change in the demography of the United States becomes pretty obvious. The 28.4 million immigrants residing in the United States form 10.4 percent of the US population.

As of 2010 data, Mexicans top the group of immigrants in the United States with a total of 9,600,000 individuals. Coming second are the Chinese with a total of 1,900,000 individuals. On the third and fourth positions lie Filipinos and Indians, with a total of 1,700,000 and 1,610,000 individuals respectively.

Of the total labor force on which the US economy depends, approximately 15 percent is made up of immigrants. Statistics also reveal that around 80 percent of the total immigrant workforce belongs to the age group of 18 - 64 years. These immigrants pay a whopping USD 162 billion in taxes to the US Federal, state, and local governments; thus, contributing to the US economy.

Illegal Immigration - The Dark Side of Immigration

Illegal immigration statistics reveal that more than 11 million migrants stay illegally in the United States as of today. The number includes all those individuals who have entered the United States illegally as well as those who have been overstaying their Visa. Approximately 57 percent of these migrants come from Mexico, while 24 percent come from other Latin-American nations. While the issue of immigration is indeed a matter of concern for the nation, an even bigger threat is illegal immigration.

A large number of people who are lobbying for restrictions on immigration cite illegal immigration as the root cause of various problems that the country is facing. What they fail to understand, is the fact that forced restriction is not the answer to this problem. One shouldn't forget that the economy of this country is also dependent on these immigrants, and thus, any restriction on immigration will have its repercussions on the economy. So, the onus is on the administration to evaluate various pros and cons of immigration and come up with policies in the favor of the nation. At the end of the day, it's illegal immigration that is a problem; not immigration per se.